Gearing.



B. A. STOCKING & H. MENDENHALL.

GBARING.

APPLIOATION FILED $1111.16, 1905.

1,096,067. Patented May 12, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

B. A. STOCKING & H. MENDENHALL. I

GEARING.

APLIGATION FILED JAN. 16, 1905 1,096,067.

Patented May 12, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WWW.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COUWASHINGTON, D. c-v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERT A. STOCKING AND HIRAIVI MENDENHALL, OF AUDUBON, IOWA.

GEARING.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BERT A. Sroonme and HIRAM MENDENHALL, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Audubon, in the county of Audubon andState of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Gearing, of whichthe following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a washing machine of simple,durable and inexpensive construction and our invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thewashing machine, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in ourclaims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1shows a side elevation of the complete washing machine with the tub andbalance wheel in section. The dot-ted lines show the operating lever andconnected parts at one limit of their movement. The cover locking deviceis omitted from this figure. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged detail sectionalview illustrating the means at the bottom of the tub for driving thebalance wheel and also the means at the top of the tub for driving theagitator. Fig. 3 shows a detail sectional view of part of the tub toillustrate the bracket for supporting the operating lever. Fig. 4 showsa top or plan view of the rack and pinion and the bearing for thepinion. Fig. 5 shows a top or plan view of the complete machine, andFig. 6 shows a detail perspective view illustrating the locking devicefor the cover of the tub and the means for throwing the rack out ofengagement with its pinion.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, we have used the referencenumeral 10 to indicate the body portion of the tub. The tub body isformed of a number of upright staves, some of which have their lowerends projected below the bottom of the tub to form legs for supportingthe tub. These legs are indicated by the symbol 10 11 indicates thebottom of the tub which is mortised into the body portion a slightdistance from the lower end thereof.

12 indicates a fixed segment of the top of the tub and 13 indicates thehinged portion of the top connected with the part 12 by the hinges 1 1.Secured to the under surface of the top 13 is the reinforcing piece 17.

The numeral 18 indicates the agitator formed with a number of downwardlyand Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1905.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Serial No. 241,208.

outwardly projecting arms 19 of-the ordinary kind and slidingly andnonrotatably mounted upon the shaft 20 which shaft is passed through theplates 21 and 22 and is rotatably mounted in a bearing 23 secured to thetop. Fixed to the shaft 20 within the bearing 23 is a pinion 2 1 forpurposes One side of the hereinafter made clear. bearing is cut away at25 so that a part of the pinion 24 projects beyond it, the said bearing23 serves to cover and protect the rest of said pinion. Mounted upon theplate 22 adjacent to the cutaway portion of the bearing 23 is a bracket26 formed with two loops 27 and 28. The end of-the said bracket 26adjacent to the pinion 2 1 is spaced apart the slide bar away from theshaft 20. The

loop 27 is of such shape that the slide bar may be elevated sufiicientlyto permit the shoulder 30 to disengage from the bracket 26 so that theslide bolt may move away from the shaft 20 until the stop 31 engages theloop 27 Mounted upon the outer surface of the tub body 10 is a brackethaving two arms 32 and 33 spaced apart. This bracket is secured by thescrews 34 to the tub. To provide additional means for securing saidbracket in position and at the same time reinforcing and strengtheningthe tub, we have provided the rod 35 to pass around the tub and throughthe parts 32 and 33 and on the ends of said rods between the parts 32and 33 are the nuts 36 by which the rod may be tightened around the tub.Pivoted between the parts 32 and 33 is the operating lever 37 the upperend of which is formed into a handle and the lower end is projected aconsiderable distance below the bottom of the tub.

At about the central portionof the under surface of the tub bottom 11 isa plate 38 formed with a socket 39 at its lower face. This plateissecured to the bottom by screws 40 which are simply for the purpose ofholding it in position and need not be of sufficient size to alonesupport the said plate,

Sea-ted in the socket 39 is a short axle 41. Rotatably mounted upon thisaxle 41 is a hub 42 and formed integral with the hub is a balance wheel43 of such size that its periphery projects into position close to theinner surface of the sides of the tub below the bottom 11. The saidsides project below part of the balance wheel and thus protect andconceal it. Formed on the hub 42 is a beveled pinion 44 and below thehub 42 are two ball bearing plates 45 and 46, one mounted upon the axle4-1 and the other fixed to the part 42 and having the bearing balls 47interposed between them.

The numeral 48 indicates a standard formed with an opening in its top toreceive the lower end of the axle 41. This standard is supported inposition and in turn supports the axle 41 as follows: Formed on thelower end of the standard is a flange 48 A. number of straight rods 49are passed through the legs l0 and downwardly and inwardly through theflange 48. Their lower ends being screw threaded and nuts 50 placedthereon engaging the under surface of the flange 48. By this arrangementof parts, the rods 49 serve to firmly and securely hold the standard 48in position, and they also serve to hold the standard upwardly againstthe plate 38 and in addition to this they serve to strengthen andreinforce the tub by holding the legs of the tub from moving outwardly.By this arrangement, it is obvious that no heavy screws or bolts need beplaced through the bottom of the tub and very little strain is thrownupon the bottom of the tub to support the operative parts beneath thetub. 'Seated in the standard 48 is a screw bolt 51 having mountedthereon the beveled gear wheel 52 which is in mesh with the pinion 44.The said beveled gear wheel is provided with a wrist pin on its outersurface to which the pitman 54 is pivoted, the other end of the pitmanbeing pivoted to the lower end oi the operating lever 37.

The numeral 55 indicates a rack-bar pivoted at one end to the lever 37and projected over the top of the tub in position where it may enterbetween the bracket 26 and the pinion 34 and mesh with said pinion. Thesaid slide bar 29 holds the rack 55 from up ward movement out ofengagement with the pinion 24 when in one position, and when the slidebar 29 is moved outw rdly, the rack-bar may be swung upwardly adjacentto the handle of the operating lever.

By arranging the parts, as shown and, described, below the tub a numberof advantages are attained: First, the heavy balance wheel and. theother operative parts are supported principally by the standard 48 whichin turn is supported by the brace rods 49. These brace rods are soarranged that they perform several functions: First, they serve tocenter and hold the standard in position against lateral movement aswell as up and down movement and they also hold the legs inwardly.

The reference numeral 56 indicates a rock shaft mounted in the staples57 on lop of the machine. At one end of the rock shaft is an integralarm to normally lie flat on top of the washing machine under the rackOn. the other end of the rock shaft is an arm 59 projecting downwardlyand formed with a hook (30. This book is designed to enter a loop 61secured to the upper portion of the tub. By this arrangement andcombination of parts we accomplish. the following advantageous result:First, we provide a hook that will hold the cover in its closed position, then in order to open the cover, it is necessary to first rock theshaft 56 and this rocking movement will cause the arm 58 to engage therack 55 and throw it upwardly out of engagement with its pinion so thatthe cover may be opened without danger of breaking the rack bar 55 whichwould be likely to be broken if the cover could be ele vated while thesaid rack bar was still in engagement with its pinion.

In practical use, the operator imparts a reciprocating motion to thehandle of the lever 37. This imparts a rotary motion to the beveled gearwheel 52 which in turn rotates the balance wheel 43 at a relatively highrate of speed. it the same time, the rack 55 is reciprocated and this inturn imparts an oscillatory movement to the agitator 18 within the tub.If the operator ceases to ap ply power to the operating lever 37, the1110-- meutum of the balance wheel will continue the rotation of thelever for a comparatively long time on account of the high speed atwhich the balance wheel is being driven. Then too, the momentum of thebalance .vheel serves to make the process of using the washing machineeasier, because in some insstances the agitator requires constant powerto turn it while in other instances it is easily turned. The balancewheel serves to carry the agitator over such parts of its movement inwhich it encounters considerable obstruction and when the agitator isturning freely, power is stored in the balance wheel. Furthermore, theoperator may, if desired, push or pull the operating lever in onedirection only and the balance wheel will carry it through the otherpart of movement. 7

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, therefor is 1. In a device ofthe class described, the combination of the body having a hinged member,a pinion mounted on said hinged member, a rack in mesh with said pinion,means for acti'lating said. rack, and a locking device for said hingedmember, adapted to automatically disconnect the rack from the pinionwhen said device is moved to unlocking position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hingedsupport, means for locking the hinged support, a vertical shaft carriedby said hinged support, an operating member connected with said shaft,and means whereby the connection between said operatingmember and saidshaft is automatically broken when the support is unlocked.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a supportingmember provided with legs, a shaft carried by said supporting member, alever fulcrumed to said supporting member and connected with said shaftto oscillate the same, a balance wheel mounted beneath said supportingmember, a gear Wheel connected with said balance wheel, a connectionbetween said gear wheel and said lever for causing continuous rotationof the balance wheel when the lever is actuated, a standard forsupporting said balance wheel and gear wheel, a plate engaging the loweredge of said standard, and downwardly extending brace rods having theirupper ends secured to said legs and their lower ends secured to saidplate, whereby said standard is supported from said legs and heldupwardly against the bottom of the supporting member.

Des Moines, Iowa, December 7 1904;.

BERT A. STOCKING. HIRAM MENDENHALL.

Witnesses J. RALPH IRWIN, B. S. HU'roHINs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

